^^^^v^ i i ri ii jij i jji j p, ! ^ 



. J, E. GILBERT 





Class 
Book 



Copyright N° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



RELIGIOUS 

EXPERIENCE 

ADULT PROBATIONER'S FIRST BOOK 





Rev. jr E.KGILBERT, D.D. 

Secretary of Spiritual Culture Society 

i - c i a 

I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me' 
Gen. xxx, 27 




NEW YORK: EATON & MAINS 
CINCINNATI: JENNINGS & PYE 






LIBRARY of CONGRESS 


Tw© C6pies Received 


FEB 5 1904 


{ Copyright Entry 
CUSS «- XXc, No. 

.- COPY'S^ 



Copyright, 1904, by 
EATON & MAINS. 



THE FULL COURSE 



First Term: Religious Experience 
Second Term: Biblical Doctrine 
Third Term : American Methodism 



Contents. 



PAGE 

Introduction 7 

i. Preliminaries 11 

2. Conviction 17 

3. Repentance 23 

4. Faith 29 

5. Hope 35 

6. Love 41 

7. Prayer. 47 

8. Progress 53 

Appendix 



A. Review Questions 59 

B. Personal Examination 64 

C. Reading Course 67 

5 



•I 



Introduction. 



This manual is the first in a series of 
three designed for the use of classes of 
adult probationers. Another series provides 
for juvenile probationers. For the author's 
ideas concerning the organization and con- 
duct of these classes and the preparation 
which should be given to probationers, see 
his work Preparation for Church Member- 
ship. It is hoped that pastors will carry the 
classes through the entire series with an 
earnest endeavor to meet the suggestions 
which are given. 

In the lessons of this term there should 
be a careful study of the matter on the 
part of each member before coming to the 
class. There the leader should endeavor to 
make every point clear to the understand- 
ing. In doing this the Scripture references 
should be found and read from the Bible 
7 



Introduction. 

with appropriate comment. Let each mem- 
ber of the class and the leader as well ap- 
ply all the instructions to test and promote 
the personal experience. 

Let it not be forgotten at any time, what 
is here frequently declared, that experience 
is variable. Different people have different 
thoughts and feelings, and the same person 
changes at different times of life. If this 
point is insisted on there may be at almost 
every class session profitable comparisons 
by those present, in which everyone should 
be urged to the utmost honesty and frank- 
ness. Insist only on essentials. Nothing 
so enfeebles the spiritual life as any attempt 
to appear what one is not. Hypocrisy is 
offensive to God and and to men. 

The following order might be followed 
in a class session: I. Devotions, — singing, 
Scripture reading, prayer, singing; 2. Ex- 
amination of the lesson for the day, by 
question and answer; 3. Free conversa- 
8 



Introduction. 

tion pertaining to personal experience on 
the theme of the day, with the purpose of 
securing immediate results ; 4. Devotions. 
But this order should be varied somewhat 
so as to admit any special interests. 

Special attention is called to the Appendix, 
in which are questions for review and for 
personal examination and a* course of read- 
ing. 

This manual is sent forth with the ear- 
nest prayer that the Holy Spirit may illu- 
minate and guide those who use it, and 
that a more intelligent view of religion and 
a higher type of experience may result. 

J. E. Gilbert. 
Washington, D. C, Dec. 1, 1903. 
9 



Religious Experience. 



FIRST LESSON. 

Preliminaries. 

i. An experience is a conscious state or 
movement of the soul. There are states 
and probably movements of the soul of 
which man is unconscious. Concerning 
these nothing definite can be affirmed, 
although much may be inferred. 

2. The great deeps of our natures are 
known only to God, from whom they can- 
not be concealed ( Psa. cxxxix, i ) . An ex- 
perience gives only partial knowledge of 
that unexplored realm. 

3. An experience furnishes a basis and 

method of self-judgment. By it there may 

be a discovery of the tendencies and partly 

of the possibilities of the soul, and the se- 
11 



Reugious Experience;. 

cret springs of motives, desires, and pur- 
poses may be laid bare. 

4. This knowledge of self gained by ex- 
perience will be helpful in every effort for 
culture, as one will learn in this way what 
qualities should be strengthened and what 
qualities should be repressed and overcome, 
without which knowledge little can be done 
toward improvement. 

5. As an immaterial entity made in the 
image of God (Gen. i, 26), the soul reaches 
its destiny by a process of development 
whereby its powers take on strength and 
beauty ; and that process, in so far as it is 
under human control, can be conducted 
rightly as experience indicates the stages 
and methods. 

6. It follows that every person, anxious 

for self-improvement, should take careful 

note of his own experiences — their origin, 

nature, variety, and fruits, acquiring thus 

in the course of years that wisdom which 
12 



Religious Experience:. 

is needful in self-culture. In doing this 
some have kept a journal. 

7. An experience is caused by something 
external. If the soul could exist wholly un- 
related, which is manifestly impossible, it 
would doubtless remain forever quiet in one 
condition, probably ignorant of its own ex- 
istence. Touched by that which is without, 
it is awakened to activity, and the changes 
produced are called experiences. 

8. A religious experience is a state or 
movement of the soul with reference to the 
spiritual world, to God and man as spirit- 
ual beings, to duty and privilege as spiritual 
realities of the present life, and to the judg- 
ment and destiny as spiritual interests of 
the life to come. 

9. A religious experience must be dis- 
tinguished from that which is purely phys- 
ical, such as hunger and thirst, that have 
their origin in the body and pertain to the 
things of time and sense. 

13 



Religious Experience. 

10. Religious experiences may be classed 
under five heads: Conviction and repent- 
ance, that relate to matters of right and 
wrong; faith, that deals with mercy and 
power; hope, that concerns the future and 
its awards ; love, referring to relations and 
opportunities or duties growing out of re- 
lations. Besides these there are complex 
experiences. 

ii. The above is the logical order in re- 
ligious experience — conviction, repentance, 
faith, hope, love. The earlier prepares for 
that which follows, and the later perfects 
what went before. This, moreover, is the 
natural order of spiritual development, the 
way by which the soul passes from lower to 
higher states. 

12. Religious experiences are produced 
by the Spirit of God, who usually employs 
the truth (Heb. iv, 12) in all his efforts to 
influence men. They are the soul's re- 
sponses to the Spirit's approach, and those 
14 



Reugious Experience. 

responses are always according to the con- 
dition of the soul. 

13. Religious experiences are the highest 
of which the soul is capable. They engage 
those powers by which man is allied to God 
and prepared for enjoyments and pursuits 
that are impossible to any of the lower or- 
ders of animals. 

14. Religious experiences vary in differ- 
ent individuals and in the same person at 
different times of life. There are phases 
peculiar to childhood, youth, adolescence, 
early maturity, middle life, and old age. 
No two persons make the same response to 
the approach of God. 

15. And yet, with all this diversity, there 
are some phases that are common to uni- 
versal humanity. These are expressions of 
that nature which is the same in all men. 
As such they should be studied by all in an 
orderly way. 

Prayer. "Who can understand his er- 
15 



Reugious Experience. 






rors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. 
Keep back- thy servant also from presump- 
tuous sins ; let them not have dominion 

over me." (Psa. xix, 12, 13.) 
16 



Religious Experience. 



SECOND LESSON. 
Conviction. 

1. Ale men are sinners (Rom. iii, 23). 
They have not only violated law, the law 
of God which is the regulating rule of their 
being, but their natures are enfeebled, per- 
verted, and polluted (Isa. i, 6), so that 
there is in every man a proneness to violate 
law. This is man's state by nature — he was 
born in it. 

2. It is true that under the influence of 
heredity and environment (Exod. xx, 5) 
this proneness to evil is not equally strong 
in all men, nor is it directed equally toward 
the same evil, but is present in some degree 
in every man, constituting the one well- 
known characteristic of world-wide human- 
ity (Psa. xiv, 2, 3) termed by theologians 
depravity. 

2 I£ 



Reugious Experience. 



3. All men are more or less convinced 
of their sinful condition. They know that 
at times they think and do what is con- 
trary to the received standard of righteous- 
ness among their fellows, contrary even to 
their own judgment of what is right (Rom. 
ii, 15). Such experiences are had by the 
heathen. 

4. These are imperfect forms of convic- 
tion, or condemnation, indicating that the 
sinful soul is not only aware of its state, 
but dissatisfied to some extent with that 
state, the cause of unrest, a promise of bet- 
ter things if right directions are given and 
followed. 

5. As greater light is obtained the soul 
experiences profounder convictions of sin 
(John xv, 22) ; that is, a clearer and fuller 
view of the inward state is obtained, by the 
power of the Holy Spirit using the truth 
(John xvi, 8, 9). 

6. One of the first and most important 

18 



:ed 
lat 



Religious Experience;. 

ends to be gained in saving men from sin 
is to produce in them an adequate sense of 
sin. As long as a man thinks himself to be 
good he will not seek improvement (Luke 
xviii, n). Only the sick desire a physi- 
cian (Matt, ix, 12). 

7. Conviction assumes various phases ac- 
cording to the temperament and education 
as well as the past life. These phases are 
all present in some cases, while in others 
there are but two or three expressions. 
Each person must consider what is his own 
experience of sin, and how to treat it. 

8. The essential and most common ele- 
ment of conviction is the feeling of self- 
condemnation. This does not arise from 
the judgment of a neighbor, a friend, or an 
enemy, but it springs up within, the result 
of an examination of one's own thoughts, 
desires, and purposes (Lam. iii, 40). 

9. Joined with this is the feeling that 
God, who is a holy being, has been dis- 

19 



Religious Experience. 

pleased (Psa. vii, n), that he has been 
alienated, and that thereby the good which 
otherwise might be enjoyed is lost (Jer. 
xxiii, 33). This feeling is not delusive — it 
points to a real fact. 

10. There is the further feeling that 
greater ills are in store as the years come 
and go, that the future will bring disaster 
because of sin. There enters into the mind 
a foreboding of evil, a dread of calamities 
the precise nature of which cannot be de- 
scribed (Heb. x, 27). 

11. This comes to be anticipated as de- 
served, something due to sin, a just retri- 
bution or judgment from which there is no 
way of escape on the ground of personal 
merit. This was illustrated in the case of 
the prodigal son (Luke xv, 21). 

12. These convictions are painful, caus- 
ing unrest and personal dissatisfaction. 
The sense of sin (the inward motions of 

which produce unholy actions), the sense 
20 






Reugious Experience. 

of ill desert and dread of future evil, to- 
gether with the loss of divine favor, com- 
bine to destroy the happiness (Rom. viii, 
28). Sometimes this pain is inexpressibly 
excruciating. Sometimes it affects the bod- 
ily health (Psa. xxxii, 3, 4) and prevents 
slumber. Men have been known under deep 
conviction of sin to be unfitted for the or- 
dinary duties of life. 

13. By far the greatest number have 
gentler experiences under a sense of sin. 
The elements are present, but in lower de- 
grees. They may have brief acute stages 
which pass away, and there may abide only 
that which is needful to render the person 
truly aware of his condition, sufficient for 
all spiritual ends. 

14. Let no one expect or desire any par- 
ticular form of conviction. Some have 
fallen into the error of supposing that they 
must experience precisely what another ex- 
perienced. This is neither possible nor de- 

21 



Reugious Experience. 

sirable. The Spirit of God works in each 
according to his pleasure (i Cor. xii, n). 

15. Let this be remembered, however, 
that conviction in any form is but the soul 
seeing and feeling its own sinfulness. The 
inward look is the occasion of sorrow. It 
is a fortunate day when one's self-satisfied 
state has been disturbed. 

Prayer. "Search me, O God, and know 

my heart : try me, and know my thoughts : 

and see if there be any wicked way in me, 

and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psa. 

cxxxix, 23, 24.) 

22 



Reugious Experience. 



THIRD LESSON. 
Repentance. 
i. Conviction of sin is the first move- 
ment of the soul toward a better condition. 
The next exercise determines the peace and 
character of the person and leaves its influ- 
ence upon the soul for all coming time and 
for eternity. What ought to be done when 
sin is discovered? 

2. Several courses may be pursued to the 
lasting injury of the man, causing him to 
sink to a lower spiritual plane, to lose the 
power in part which has been awakened, to 
become afterward less susceptible to the in- 
fluence of the truth and the spirit, and to 
invite a chain of evils that will be over- 
whelming in their consequences (Prov. 

h 30,30- 

3. The convicted man may apologize for 

23 



Reugious Experience. 

his sin, claiming that it was an accident, the 
result of inheritance or association, or 
pleading that others are guilty of the same 
or worse, or that it was not, after all, such 
a very great offense as the judgment had 
declared (i Sam. xiii, n). 

4. He may attempt to conceal his sin 
from the eyes of men (Prov. xxviii, 13), 
thinking that if it is kept a secret a large 
part of the evil is removed, caring more for 
the good opinions of associates than he 
cares for purity of heart or rectitude of life 
(1 Thess. ii, 5, 6). 

5. He may endeavor to drown the con- 
viction amid the pleasures and business of 
the world. By occupying his time and di- 
verting his attention the impression may 
wear away, and he may think that the evil 
is gone forever. This is a favorite method 
with many, often the secret of the engage- 
ments made by the young (2 Tim. iii, 4). 

6. He may determine to do nothing, hop- 

24 



Reugious Experience. 

ing that the conviction will gradually pass 
away, and resolving until then to bear it 
with fortitude and patience (Psa. xxxii, 3). 
But if the conviction is pungent this course 
will soon be abandoned. 

7. There is but one proper method for 
the convicted sinner — he should repent. 
This is what John the Baptist proclaimed 
(Matt, iii, 2) as he sought to prepare the 
way for the Messiah, and it was the first 
message delivered by Jesus when he began 
to preach (Mark i, 15.) 

8. Repentance is the natural and easy 
course. Conviction passes over into it so 
gradually that one is scarcely able to mark 
the line that separates between the two ex- 
periences. They have much in common. 
One is antecedent and the other conse- 
quent. There are elements which must be 
considered. 

9. There is first a genuine sorrow for 
sin, not for its consequences as when one 

25 



Reugious Experience. 

loses property or faces disaster. In that 
sense every man is naturally sorry for sin, 
sorry to be overtaken by it, sorry to be af- 
fected by it. But repentance is sorrow for 
the sin itself, for its existence in the heart 
and life. 

10. This sorrow has its roots in the con- 
sciousness of God's displeasure and in a 
knowledge of his goodness (Rom. ii, 4), 
joined with a consequent desire to regain 
the lost favor and to be restored to com- 
munion with the infinite Father of spirits, 
in whose presence there is joy for evermore 
(Psa. xvi, 11). 

11. This sorrow becomes valuable and 
perfect only when it results in a resolve to 
be rid of the sin, and to find some method 
of deliverance from it. This was illustrated 
in the case of the prodigal (Luke xv, 18). 
Herein is the difference between conviction 
and repentance: The former is self-judg- 
ment, self-condemnation; the latter is a 

26 



Rexigious Experience. 

struggle to be free from the condemna- 
tion. 

12. In seeking relief from the burden ex- 
perienced in conviction the soul employs 
several means, some of which are prelim- 
inary to the final ones and helpful toward it. 
They are natural results of true penitence; 
indeed, they may be said to be parts of it, 
or at least inseparable from it. 

13. There is first the act of confession 
both to God and to man. He who is truly 
sorry for sinning will be sure to say so, and 
this confession will be in many ways profit- 
able to him who makes it (1 John i, 9). In 
like manner a man will gladly acknowledge 
an offense committed against his fellow if 
sorry for it (James v, 16). 

14. Repentance also includes an attempt 
to repair the injury inflicted by the sin, so 
far as this is possible. If the money of an- 
other has been taken it must be restored 

(L,uke xix, 8). If one has been slandered 

27 



Reugious Experience. 

the falsehood must be recalled. There can 
be no acceptable act until there is at least 
an attempt to adjust all transgression 
(Matt, v, 24). 

15. This progressive experience of sor- 
row, confession, and reparation is but the 
soul's response to the influence of the Holy 
Spirit. It is partly emotional and partly 
volitional. Repentance marks the limit of 
the soul's ability on the subject of sin. By 
it sin is cast out of the heart and life so far 
as the man can cast it out. The reflex influ- 
ence of repentance is immeasurably great 
and far-reaching. 

Reflection. "The Lord is long-suffering 
to us-ward, not willing that any should per- 
ish, but that all should come to repentance." 

(2 Pet. iii, 9.) 

28 



Religious Experience;. 



FOURTH LESSON. 
Faith. 
i. He who changes his attitude toward 
sin will change his attitude toward God. 
The two acts are intimately related. The 
second follows easily upon the first and 
completes that spiritual process which is be- 
gun in the first. 

2. Sin alienates and separates from God 
(Isa. lix, 2). When by conviction sin is 
discovered and made burdensome and by 
repentance it is regretted and repudiated, 
the soul immediately seeks that favor which 
was lost, nor rests until it is found (Psa. 
xlii, 1). 

3. There are conditions upon which it is 

consistent for God to receive the penitent 

into favor (Rom. iii, 26). These belong to 

the divine side of reconciliation, and will be 
29 



Reugious Experience. 

treated under the head of Atonement in the 
course for next term. Here it is designed 
only to show by what process the soul ac- 
cepts these conditions, through what states 
it passes in entering into fellowship. 

4. That process is faith, which may be 
briefly denned as a form of dependence up- 
on God. The fear and shrinking which the 
impenitent experience is dismissed, and 
there follows a composed trust and rest in 
Him who is the sure support of the life 
(Psa. xxvii, 1). 

5. Let it not be supposed that faith is a 
price paid for God's favor, as if that were 
an article of merchandise. He is more will- 
ing to bestow than men are to receive, and 
none of his gifts can be purchased (Isa. lv, 
1). The full recognition of this fact and 
the confidence thereby inspired is of the es- 
sence of faith (1 John v, 14). 

6. Hence, faith begins in a recognition of 
the goodness of God, which, as already 

30 



Religious Experience. 

mentioned, had much to do in promoting 
repentance for sin. No one could trust a 
being who is not benevolently inclined ; no 
sinner after repentance would turn to God 
unless convinced that he was merciful and 
gracious, long-suffering and kind (Exod. 
xx, 6). 

7. The mercy of God must be expressed 
in some way so that men may be fully con- 
vinced of it. God has been pleased, not 
only to declare it by the prophets (Isa. lv, 
7), as an important part of all their mes- 
sages, but to give supreme proof of this 
disposition by sending his Son into the 
world (John iii, 16). 

8. Faith in God, based upon his goodness 
or mercy, is faith in Jesus Christ, his only 
begotten Son (Acts xvi, 31), a casting of 
one's self into the loving embrace of God 
proffered in the person of Jesus. 

9. A man will not depend upon God 
merely because he is merciful. There is 

31 



Religious Experience. 

need of something more to awaken in the 
human heart its fullest confidence. The sin- 
ner has not only violated law, but he has 
injured himself and is weak. He needs, 
therefore, some one who will not only for- 
give but will also strengthen (Eph. iii, 20). 

10. Hence, faith is awakened by the dis- 
covery of God's power, a power that is un- 
der the control of his goodness (Heb. vii, 
25), and is exercised toward those who, 
having been turned away from their sins, 
need now to be helped in gaining victory 
over their sins (Matt, i, 21). 

11. This element of power is alarming 
to the wicked but comforting to the peni- 
tent. The man who clings to his sins fears 
to fall into the hands of God (Heb. x, 31). 
The man who repudiates his sins and dis- 
covers his own weakness desires nothing 
more than to be under God's protection 
(Eph. i, 19). 

12. When the soul recognizes that God is 

32 



Religious Experience. 

merciful and mighty there is a consequent 
drawing 'toward him, a strange experience, 
at first feeble but slowly gaining in strength, 
until at last, letting go all other hope of 
obtaining pardon or help, there is a glad 
and complete surrender. It is not unlike 
the firm grasp of a drowning man who 
seizes a rope cast out of a ship by a trusted 
friend (Psa. xxxii, 6, 7). 

13. Simultaneously with this act of faith 
God pardons. There is a change in his 
mind and -attitude, which need not be fully 
considered here. It belongs to next term's 
study under the head of justification (Rom. 
v, 1). But there comes into the heart of 
the believer an experience of pardon which 
is productive of great joy (Isa. xii, 1). 

14. There is another result, a matter of 
experience, which is of utmost importance. 
When a man, once estranged by sin, has 
been restored to the favor of God by re- 
pentance and faith, the Holy Spirit, which 

3 33 



Religious Experience;. 

before testified against him, now testifies to 
him (Rom. viii, 16), and he feels that he 
has been made a child of God, adopted into 
the heavenly family. 

15. There begins also at the same time 
a renewal of the nature by the Holy Spirit. 
Up to this point all experience — conviction, 
repentance, faith — was the result of the 
Spirit's work. Now that the man is con- 
verted, turned from sin to God, the same 
Spirit proceeds to arouse, unfold, and 
strengthen the powers for the service of 
God. And at every step faith must be pres- 
ent in the man to secure the desired results 
(Gal. ii, 20). 

Reflection. "Without faith it is impos- 
sible to please God : for he that cometh to 
God must believe that he is, and that he is 
a rewarder of them that diligently seek 
him." (Heb. xi, 6.) 

34 



Reugious Experience. 



FIFTH LESSON. 
Hope. 

i. He who repents turns away from sin. 
He who has faith has turned toward God. 
This double turning (conversion) begins 
the new life, or, rather, makes possible the 
new life which is wrought by the Spirit of 
God (Eph. v, 9), and which will be treated 
more fully in the lessons of next term un- 
der the head of Regeneration. 

2. The regenerate life has new expe- 
riences impossible in the old life. The soul 
becomes conscious of states and movements 
to which it was before a stranger (2 Cor. v, 
17). This results from the changes already 
mentioned, changes that affect the volun- 
tary powers of the soul and cause it to make 
responses in a new way to things external 
to itself. 

35 



Religious Experience;. 

3. The first of these experiences, follow- 
ing naturally after faith, is a new and 
clearer vision. The unregenerate man is 
said to be blind (2 Pet. 1, 9), because he 
does not and cannot perceive the things of 
God. But in conversion and regeneration 
the spiritual sight is restored as it was in 
Saul on the way to Damascus (Acts ix, 18). 

4. This new vision is turned toward the 
future and the spiritual world. Previously 
the soul was occupied with the things of 
time and sense which were considered to be 
of chief importance, laying up treasures on 
the earth (Matt, vi, 19). Now there breaks 
upon the sight what was before invisible 
(2 Cor. iv, 18). 

5. The experience thus produced is hope 
— an anticipation, desire, and appropriation 
of future blessings. Sometimes this is so 
vivid that the person counts upon the things 
discovered as present possessions, and in 
consequence considers himself rich. 

36 



Religious Experience;. 

6. The believer's hope is unlike that of 
the unbeliever. There is something in hu- 
man nature, even in its lowest estate, that 
turns from the present to the future, a faint 
action of powers that lie dormant, whose 
full and correct movement occurs only 
when by the Spirit they are awakened and 
strengthened. 

7. The believer's hope has one peculiarity 
that specially distinguishes it from that of 
the unbeliever — its source is in God (Psa. 
lxxviii, 7). The man realizes that the good 
he expects and believes to be his is derived 
from God (James i, 17). He so sees into 
the complications of life as to discover God 
working in it for the good of his children 
(Rom. viii, 28). 

8. The Old Testament saints by this ex- 
perience, this vision of the future, were en- 
abled to anticipate the coming of Christ 
(Jer. xiv, 8). It was that which filled the 
minds of the prophets and gave courage in 

37 



Religious Experience. 

every dark hour to the leaders of the nation 
(Acts xxvi, 6,j). 

9. The hope of the believer reaches out 
to the life to come, and that in several par- 
ticulars (Titus hi, 7). It attests the cer- 
tainty of that life about which philosophers 
have speculated and all men have fondly 
dreamed, as a promise from God (Titus i, 
2), as in fact an inheritance of saints (Col. 
i, 12). Thus the soul is able triumphantly 
to expect deliverance from the grave and 
entrance afterward into blessedness (2 Tim. 
iv, 8). 

10. This expectation of a future life is 
compared to an anchor which men cast out 
into the sea in the time of the storm. Hope 
reaches into the unseen world where Christ 
is gone (Heb. vi, 19, 20), the soul's sure 
support in the midst of the many troubles 
that befall men here. 

11. This life would be intolerable without 
such hope (1 Cor. xv, 19). It is the future 

38 



Reugious Experience;. 

life that gives explanation and worth to this 
(Heb. xiii, 14). Heaven's long age of bliss 
shall repay all that God's people suffer here, 
and suffer they must because of the evil 
that is about them (John xiv, 1-3). 

12. Hope has a most salutary influence 
upon the believer. It is an excellent stim- 
ulus to holy living. He who expects to live 
with God after death in the mansions pre- 
pared for him will seek deliverance from all 
things incompatible with that heavenly 
abode (1 John iii, 3). 

13. Moreover, it gives unity and vigor to 
all the powers, as doubt, fear, and despond- 
ency distract and weaken (Psa. lxxi, 14). 
It gives joy and steadfastness (Prov. x, 
28), so that one presses onward with con- 
stancy and even alacrity in the way of duty 
(2 Cor. i, 7). 

14. Hope stands midway between faith 
and love (1 Cor. xiii, 1) ; nourished by the 
former it becomes one of the chief grounds 

39 



Religious Experience;. 

of the latter, exercising a salutary influence 
upon both. 

15. There is, therefore, a justifiable and 
profitable optimism for the believer, who, 
turning his eyes toward the future, sees the 
good both of this life and the next and re- 
fuses to be cast down by the untoward 
things that arise (Rom. viii, 37, 38). 

Benediction. "Now the God of hope fill 

you with all joy and peace in believing, that 

ye may abound in hope, through the power 

of the Holy Ghost." (Rom. xv, 13.) 
40 






Reugious Experience;. 



SIXTH LESSON. 
Love. 

1. The experiences thus far described — 
confession, repentance, faith, hope — all tend 
to improve, elevate, and enrich the soul on 
its Godward and heavenward side. That is 
the end sought by the Holy Spirit in all 
the influences by which these experiences 
are produced. 

2. It is easy to see what ought to follow. 
The full life naturally seeks to bestow itself 
for the good of others. This is a law of 
existence (Matt, x, 8). They who have 
little or nothing endeavor to obtain what 
they lack, satisfied with receiving and en- 
joying. The divine gift reverses this tend- 
ency, and by means of it a man becomes a 
fountain unable to contain himself (Acts 

xx > 35). 

4i 



Religious Experience. 

3. This overflow or outflow of the soul is 
love. It is a spontaneous putting forth to- 
ward some person, a giving of one's self, 
prompted and sustained by a strange and 
mighty but blessed drawing toward its ob- 
ject, with desire to confer good (John iii, 
16). Love gives. 

4. In lower and imperfect form love ex- 
ists in all men even when they are unre- 
generate, called then natural love (Rom. i, 
31), as that of parent for child, experienced 
in all conditions of humanity and in some 
degree in the animal kingdom. Without 
this individuals would be driven apart and 
the social relations would be impossible. 

5. Love as a religious experience is 
higher and more beautiful, and may be 
called supernatural, because it does not ex- 
ist in the natural heart but is produced by 
the Spirit of God (Rom. v, 5), an outgoing 
that is like that of -God (1 John iv, 8). 

6. This love is the climax of spiritual at- 

42 



Reugious Experience. 

tainment, the end toward which all holy, 
endeavor should be directed, the end sought 
in all divine discipline. Love is the supreme 
excellence of angels, the ruling disposition 
of the heavenly world, "the bond of perfect- 
ness" (Col. iii, 14). 

7. Love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 
xiii, 10). All the commands are kept by 
him who is governed by love. No one who 
loves will even desire to be released from 
any law. On the contrary, he will delight 
in the law (Psa. cxix, 97), for it prescribes 
that way which is most productive of good. 

8. Love varies with the character of 
the object toward which it is directed, 
becoming — 

Complacency, when the excellent quali- 
ties of the being loved excite admiration ; 

Communion, when by similarity of char- 
acter an interchange occurs, most common 
'among equals, of which brotherly love is 
the highest and most beautiful expression; 
43 



Religious Experience. 

Reverence, when the being loved is supe- 
rior in character and station; 

Pity, when the being beloved has been 
unfortunate ; 

Praise, when the excellent qualities ex- 
cite surprise and prompt to public announce- 
ment that others may know them ; 

Charity, a feeling to aid the poor and 
needy ; 

Sympathy, when one has passed through 
similar experiences and is able to feel with 
another ; 

Gratitude, when benefits have been re- 
ceived from the one beloved ; 

Anger, when justice has been violated, 
sometimes called indignation; 

Mercy, when one who has inflicted injury 
has repented of it and sought forgiveness. 

9. God has commanded men so to love 

that every power of their natures shall be 

under its control, and it shall become the 

dominating principle of life — love to God 

44 



Rexigious Experience;. 

(Deut. vi, 5), love to neighbors (Lev. xix, 
18), and even love to enemies (Matt. 

v, 44). 

10. When love is thus dominant the man 
is said to be perfect ; that is, he has attained 
to the highest virtue in kind (Matt, v, 48): 

11. Mr. Wesley said, "So to love God 
with all the heart and the neighbor as one's 
self, that out of this pure fountain of love 
to God and man shall flow all the actions 
of life — this is Christian perfection," the 
best definition for that exalted state. 

12. "Love covereth sins" (Prov. x, 12). 
Under its control a man does not discover 
the faults of another (1 Pet. iv, 8) because 
he regards more particularly those qualities 
that are pleasing. 

13. Love (charity) edifieth, develops, 
and strengthens all the nobler elements of 
man's nature (1 Cor. viii, 1) so that by its 
influence one steadily advances to better 
things. 

45 



Religious Experience;. 

14. This building-up process through the 
power of love has for its objective point the 
comprehensive view of the enlarged possi- 
bilities of the saints (Eph. iii, 17, 18). 

15. Eove should be without dissimulation 
(Rom. xii, 9), as any attempt at deception 
tends to prevent its fullest expression. 

Exhortation. "Beloved, let us love one 

another : for love is of God ; and every one 

that loveth is born of God, and knoweth 

God. He that loveth not knoweth not God ; 

for God is love." (1 John iv, 7, 8.) 
46 



Reugious Experience;. 



SEVENTH LESSON. 
Prayer. 

1. Every man longs for some things not 
possessed and wishes to retain other things 
already possessed. These experiences orig- 
inate in the thought that what is desired 
will contribute to happiness or usefulness or 
promote some cherished purpose, plan, or 
pursuit. 

2. The desires may be for unworthy 
things whose possession will result in in- 
jury, or for things that cannot be obtained 
whose seeking will end in disappointment; 
or the desires, however worthy in them- 
selves, may be immoderate, causing undue 
attention to some things and neglect of 
other things (Eccles. vii, 16). 

3. Hence, the regulation of the desires is 
necessary to happiness, to right conduct, 

47 



Religious Experience. 

and to good character. Some of them must 
be greatly modified and placed within cer- 
tain limits, and others of them must be 
altogether removed. The accomplishment 
of that task is by no means easy. 

4. All the experiences described in the 
foregoing lessons will be helpful in this 
matter. Having passed from allowed sin 
to rejected sin, from alienation from God 
to reconciliation with him, from the sordid 
pursuit and enjoyment of material gain to 
anticipations of spiritual blessings, from 
self-seeking to self-giving, new and holy 
desires will be awakened in the soul. 

5. As the man has turned to God, and -he 
seeks to live in harmony with the divine 
will, he will properly refer his desires to 
God, submitting them for his inspection, 
approval, or modification, and soliciting his 
help in realizing what is right in them. 
This act or experience is prayer. 

6. Genuine prayer has at least four char- 



Religious Experience. 

acteristics: it is offered with a righteous 
purpose (Psa. lxvi, 18), all sin being ex- 
cluded from the thought and desire; it is 
prompted by the Holy Spirit (Rom. viii, 
26), who is the author of all holy desires; 
it is presented in the name of Jesus (John 
xvi, 23), through whom alone there is a 
right to approach God; it is with faith 
(Heb. xi, 6), without which all prayer is 
vain. 

7. Two other characteristics will be 
prominent in the highest forms of prayer. 
It will be fervent or hearty (Col. iv, 12), 
because it is an address to the Supreme Be- 
ing on the most momentous concerns ; it 
will be constant (Col. i, 3), for there never 
can be a time when God's will need not be 
considered or his pleasure and help sought. 

8. Scholars have recognized six possible 
parts of prayer : invocation, the request 
for audience ; adoration, a meditation upon 
the divine perfections ; blessing, the ascrip- 

4 49 



Religious Experience. 

tion of praise due to the infinite glory; 
confession, an acknowledgment of sin; 
petition, the presentation of requests ; plead- 
ing, an earnest and prolonged request. 

9. A season of prayer may employ one 
or any number of the foregoing. It will 
be highly profitable for the soul at set times 
to engage in these parts according to spir- 
itual needs and promptings, exercising itself 
in each part separately. 

10. There are different kinds of prayer — 
the mental or silent, the vocal or audible, 
the private or personal, the public or united. 
Each has its place and value, and should be 
carefully considered that it may be profit- 
ably practiced. 

11. Scripture examples of prayer present 
forms and spirit, and may be studied with 
much profit. Some of the more prominent 
are those of Daniel (Dan. vi, 11), of Solo- 
mon (2 Chron. vii, 1), of Hannah (1 Sam. 
i, 12), of Paul (Acts ix, 11), and of Jesus 

50 



Religious Experience:. 

(Luke iii, 21 ). What is ordinarily styled 
the Lord's Prayer, because he gave it 
(Matt, vi, 9-13), should be committed to 
memory and each petition made the subject 
of reflection. 

12. Prayer may be offered anywhere. 
There should be, however, for believers a 
secret place (Matt, vi, 6) into which one 
may retire at times, from which all other 
persons should be excluded. For united 
prayer (Acts xvi, 13) there must be a spot 
which may be agreed upon and may become 
very dear to those who resort to it. 

13. The length of time to be spent in 
prayer at any season must be determined 
by the suppliants. There have been ex- 
tended prayer seasons, as in the case of 
Anna (Luke ii, 37), and of the widow 
(1 Tim. v, 5), and of Jesus (Luke vi, 12). 
Some have made long prayers as a pretense 
of superior piety (Matt, xxiii, 14). 

14. The times for prayer may be regular 

5i 



Religious Experience;. 

and special to meet ordinary and extra 
needs. The Scriptures mention three sea- 
sons, morning, noon, and night (Dan. vi, 
10), indicating that this had come to be a 
national custom (Psa. v, 3), which is cer- 
tainly very beautiful and commendable. 

15. All true prayer is answered (Matt, 
vii, 7), but not always as men may wish. 
Failure to receive answers is accounted for 
in various ways. , As a general statement 
it may be said that God grants what is ac- 
cording to his will (1 John v, 14), and he 
refuses what will be injurious to the peti- 
tioner (James iv, 3). 

Counsel. "Take the helmet of salvation, 
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the 
word of God: praying always with all 
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and 
watching thereunto with all perseverance 
and supplication." (Eph. vi, 17, 18.) 
52 



Reugious Experience. 



EIGHTH LESSON. 
Progress. 

i. Every living thing advances from 
feeble beginnings toward an ultimate state 
of completeness, not by accretions from 
without, but by the development of an in- 
terior principle or germ. In its method and 
rapidity the advance is governed by uner- 
ring law fixed in the constitution of the 
being. 

2. For illustration: The tree begins as 
a little twig so small and frail that the foot 
may bend it to the earth, but by the action 
of forces within itself it becomes the mighty 
monarch of the forest in whose branches 
the birds build their nests. So the beast, 
at first scarcely able to obtain its own food, 
grows in stature and strength as the years 
pass. 

53 



Reugious Experience:. 

3. In like manner the soul of man may 
pass to higher states by an unfolding proc- 
ess so mysterious as scarcely to admit of 
explanation, so gradual that one may hardly 
mark its separate stages, yet so real as to 
command the closest attention and arouse 
the most serious and earnest effort. 

4. Spiritual growth is commanded (2 
Pet. iii, 18). It is therefore a duty, not 
something that may be done or left undone 
at pleasure, but something that must be 
done unless a man would be disobedient to 
God and out of harmony with him. 

5. It is by growth that a man becomes 
what he was designed to be, and attains the 
place which God intended him to fill (Phil, 
iii, 12), able to act an appointed part in the 
world for God and man. A stereotyped, 
stationary man is not fully alive, and he is 
forever out of place, possibly a stumbling- 
block for others. 

6. The believer's true attitude is one of 

54 



Religious Experience. 

upward looking, joined with a firm resolve 
and a strenuous endeavor to escape from 
present conditions, however excellent those 
may be, and to reach out after those condi- 
tions which are more excellent (Phil, iii, 
13, 14). There will never be a time in the 
life of a man when there is not something 
higher to which he may attain. 

7. As a pattern and incentive to men it is 
expressly asserted that the Son of God 
grew, not in bodily stature only, but in 
spirit also (Luke i, 80). The law of life 
held in him ; perfection was not reached all 
at once, but by a steady movement. 

8. Spiritual growth is by periods. Some 
things are possible in childhood and others 
in after years (1 Cor. xiii, 11). The earlier 
prepares for the later. It is a calamity 
when the first years are neglected, as if it 
were possible to undo the mischief and 
overtake the rapid movements in nature to- 
ward permanent conditions. 

55 



Religious Experience;. 

9. Spiritual growth is toward Christ and 
into him (Eph. iv, 15). He is the head, 
the life, the pattern. The one end of all 
progress is to become his and to be like 
him (1 John iii, 2). 

10. Spiritual progress is secured by the 
continuance and perfection of the experi- 
ences named herein. It must not be sup- 
posed that a man may have repentance, 
faith, hope, and love but once (1 Cor. xiii, 
13). There must be an ever-increasing ex- 
ercise in turning away from sin to God and 
in putting forth right affections toward God 
and man. Moreover, these experiences in- 
teract, so that each is helpful to each other 
and all go forward to better conditions. 

11. The truth factor in spiritual progress 
cannot be too greatly emphasized. By 
means of it the soul is liberated (John viii, 
32) and sanctified (John xvii, 17). The 
truth must be desired for nourishment 

(1 Pet. ii, 2) ; man must eat it (Matt, iv, 

56 



Reugious Experience:. 

4), that is, he must diligently meditate up- 
on it (Psa. i, 2) and thereby assimilate it 
into his being. 

12. There are no limits to spiritual 
growth. The body attains its maximum 
of size and strength and after a time 
declines, but the spirit may go on through 
the entire period of this mortal life and 
probably through the life to come, "from 
glory to glory," ever approximating to that 
which is according to the will of God. 

13. It is by growth that the highest forms 
of joy and peace will be reached, the 
privilege and the duty of all (1 John i, 4). 
Our anxieties and fears are due to the fact 
that we have too little strength and solidity 
to meet the vicissitudes of life. A frail 
empty bark is tossed violently on the waves 
by the wind. A strong vessel with ballast 
outrides the storm and comes safe into the 
harbor. 

14. Progress in religious experience may 

57 



Religious Experience. 

be generally indicated to consciousness by 
the following: In the beginning we are 
chiefly concerned about ourselves ; later, we 
are interested in the welfare of our fellow- 
citizens ; and finally, the chief desire is to 
exalt Christ and bring glory to God. 

15. In the ages to come, the untold pe- 
riods beyond the judgment, God will pre- 
sent human beings as specimens of his 
handiwork (Eph. ii, 7), to the praise of his 
wisdom and power. They only who have 
unfolded in this life under his discipline will 
shine forth in the next life with exceeding 
splendor (Eph. v, 27). 

Exhortation. "Therefore, leaving the 
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us 

go on unto perfection." (Heb. vi, 1.) 

58 



Reugious Experience. 



APPENDIX. 
A. Review Questions. 

(To be used in private and in the class.) 

I. Preliminaries. — What is an experi- 
ence? How much of ourselves is known to 
us? Why should one consider his expe- 
riences? What is a religious experience? 
What five kinds of religious experience are 
there? How are religious experiences pro- 
duced ? How do religious experiences com- 
pare with other experiences ? Are religious 
experiences the same in all persons? Are 
there some experiences common to all? 

II. Conviction. — What is the moral con- 
dition of all men? Are all men more or 
less convinced of their condition ? How are 
deeper convictions produced? Does con- 
viction always assume the same form? 
What is the essential thing in conviction? 

59 



Religious Experience. 

What other elements are usually present in 
conviction ? What is the sense of ill desert ? 
What gives pain in conviction? Why does 
a convicted person fear? 

III. Repentance. — What improper courses 
may be pursued by one under convic- 
tion of sin? Why are these not proper? 
What is the true course to be pursued by 
the penitent? How is repentance related to 
conviction? What is the chief element in 
repentance? What is the source of this? 
What is the first result of this sorrow? 
Why does repentance produce confession? 
Why does it lead to reparation? What is 
the effect of repentance upon the convicted 
man? 

IV. Faith.— What is faith? By what is 
it preceded ? Is faith a price paid" for par- 
don? What is the first ground of faith? 
What is the other ground of faith ? How is 
the mercy of God declared? How is divine 

mercy exhibited? What has faith to do 
60 



Reugious Experience;. 

with Christ? How do the ungodly feel in 
considering the power of God? How does 
the penitent feel in considering divine 
power? Why this difference of feeling? 
What takes place in the mind of God when 
faith enters the mind of men? 

V. Hope. — What is hope? Why does it 
arise in the renewed heart? What is the 
origin of the new spiritual vision ? Toward 
what is it directed? Wherein does the be- 
liever's hope differ from the unbeliever's? 
What was the particular object of hope to 
the prophets? What is the object of hope 
to the Christian? To what is the hope 
likened, and why? What is the value of 
hope in the spiritual life? How is hope 
related to faith and to love? May Chris- 
tians be optimists? 

VI. Love. — What effect is produced by 
the experiences of repentance, faith, and 
hope? What follows when a man is en- 
riched? What is love? Mention some 

61 



Religious Experience. 

phases of natural love. Describe love as a 
religious experience. What is its origin? 
How is love related to law ? What varieties 
of love are there with reference to the char- 
acters of those beloved? How far should 
love control our lives? When love is dom- 
inant what is man's state? How does love 
affect character? 

VII. Prayer. — What is prayer? Why- 
should men pray? What four character- 
istics are there in genuine prayer? What 
two other characteristics are in the highest 
forms of prayer? What are the six parts 
of prayer? What are the four kinds of 
prayer? What examples of prayer are 
given in Scripture? What places may be 
chosen for prayer? How long should a 
prayer be? What are the best times for 
prayer ? Is prayer answered ? 

VIII. Progress. — How do living beings 

make progress? Why is spiritual growth 

commanded? What is gained by spiritual 
62 



Rejugious Exp^ri^ncs. 

growth? What is the believer's true atti- 
tude? What is the highest pattern and in- 
centive to growth? What is the end or 
ideal in spiritual growth? What is recog- 
nized as to periods of growth? How is 
spiritual progress effected ? What has truth 
to do in spiritual growth ? What is the limit 
in spiritual growth ? What relation is there 
between growth and destiny? How is 
growth indicated to consciousness ? 
63 



Reugious Experience. 
B. Personal Examination. 

To be conducted daily and prayerfully in private.) 
FIRST WEEK. 

1. Am I anxious to know my own spirit- 
ual condition ? 

2. Do I seek light on this subject and 
welcome truth pertaining to it? 

3. Do I lay my heart open for inspection 
by the Holy Spirit? 

SECOND WEEK. 

. I. Am I aware of my sinful condition? 

2. Am I burdened and condemned by the 
discovery of my sins ? 

3. Is sin itself loathsome and offensive to 
me, or agreeable and desirable? 

THIRD week. 

1. Am I truly and deeply sorry for my 
sins, or do I apologize for them? 

2. Am I fully determined, so far as in me 
lies, to forsake my sins? 

64 



Rfjjgious Experience. 

3. Will I confess my sins to God and en- 
deavor to repair any injury done by me to 
men? 

FOURTH WEEK. 

1. Have I faith in the mercy and power 
of God as revealed in Christ? 

2. Do I cast myself as I am upon him for 
pardon and strength ? 

3. Do I feel in my heart that he has for- 
given and accepted me? 

fifth week. 

1. Do I look away from present and tem- 
poral good to future and spiritual good ? 

2. Does this outlook of hope give me 
joy and stimulate me to live for God? 

3. Do I feel that the life to come will 
yield pleasures unknown in this life ? 

SIXTH week. 

1. Do I experience an outgoing of heart 
toward God and men? 

2. Does this drawing of my soul incline 
5 65 



Religious Experience. 

me to render service for the good of men 
and the glory of God? 

3. Is the law of God a delight because it 
shows the way to the highest and best 
service ? 

SEVENTH WEEK. 

1. Am I anxious that even the desires of 
my heart should be pure and good ? 

2. Do I habitually present these to God, 
anxious that he should approve or oppose, 
satisfied that his will be done? 

3. Do I receive answers to prayer? If 
not, why not? Do I experience pleasure in 
prayer ? 

EIGHTH WEEK. 

1. Am I making any progress in the spir- 
itual life? 

2. Am I seeking a higher state? 

3. Am I anxious to know the will of God 

in his word and to be conformed to it? 
66 



Religious Experience. 



C. Reading Course. 

(Recommended to those who have leisure and disposition to 
consider the subject of religious experience under the guidance 
of other minds and by other methods.) 

i. Aspects oe Christian Experience. 
By Bishop S. M. Merrill, D.D. Price, 90 
cents. 

2. Philosophy oe Christian Experi- 
ence. By Bishop R. S. Foster, D.D. 
Price, $1. 

3. The New Eiee in Christ. By Pro- 
fessor J. Agar Beet. Price, $1. 

4. Love Enthroned. By Daniel Steele, 
D.D. Price, $1.20. 

5. Prayer. By C. H. Van Anda, D.D. 
Price, 45 cents. 

6. Popular Amusements. By J. Town- 
ley Crane, D.D. Price, 60 cents. 

67 



FEB 5 1904 



,f 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



021 899 474 A 



